Taking Care of Belongings Travelling Solo

TimMakins

I did a quick Google image search and this came up:

http://store.yahoo.com/beltoutlet/legmoneybelt.html


For those with other *requirements*, this page turned up too..

Click if you dare

http://www.playazon.com/fashion/belt.html

Tim in Ireland

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Quote:

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. Mark Twain

lotus blossom

oh dear, i clicked...

one issue about traveling solo is not having anyone to watch your back, so to speak. i had a rather scary train experience the one time i traveled on them so have been hesitant to travel on one again, by myself. i also met a woman who was traveling solo on the train and had her money, passport, and all the rest of her valuables stolen from a pack that she had on her person. they obviously did it while she slept, though she said it would have been nearly impossible to do. we all felt a little creepy about that...

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Erbaspina

I travelled solo and i had money passport and return ticket in a belt ... the rest was in the backpack that couldn't be completely locked. I just chained it behind the berth, if they open it and they steal a t-shirt, well, they need it more. For camera and the like try to have a small bag, that you always keep.

For the the loo, i just asked people in there to have a look at the backpack and kept the small bag with me.

The real problem is being solo to the sea. I ended up going always to the same shack so that you know the people working there and, deep breath, trust them.

In 5 months i didn't have any trouble, though.

sudzindia

do u have to put money/TCs in multiple locations just in case u get robbed by someone? Like im going up to some mountains towns n of course the cities etc...so yea..n where do u put them? Definitely dont wnt to put anyting into my backpack just in case someone snicks my bag on the train while im in the loo or something..haha..sooo? I dont hv any inside pockets on my jeans/pants! wonder if its too late to stitch one!!

wonderwomanusa

>>do u have to put money/TCs in multiple locations just in case u get robbed by someone? Like im going up to some mountains towns n of course the cities etc...so yea..n where do u put them? Definitely dont wnt to put anyting into my backpack just in case someone snicks my bag on the train while im in the loo or something..haha..sooo? I dont hv any inside pockets on my jeans/pants! wonder if its too late to stitch one!!<<

An inside pocket in jeans or pants will work, and use a little Velcro to close it.

Or, you can get a pouch that fits around your waist and should be worn under your undies ...

I carry a nylon bag that anyone could chew open, and fasten it to the chain under the train seat (in A/C 2 Tier). I've never had my bag bothered -- but I also do not carry anything I can't afford to lose.

My camera, medication, and other necessities stay in a shoulder bag, which I put on the train berth next to me, and curl up around it. It goes to the toilet with me, and in a hotel, it goes to the shower/bathroom with me unless the door is locked with my own padlock.

There will be fewer problems than you are imagining, Suz, so long as you keep your "street smarts" with you.

gaya

[quote=sudzindia]
As I am travelling budget, if I am in a room which does not have an attached bathroom, what do you do with ur valuables (Cash, travellrs cheque, camera etc), while you go for a shower. Can u leave it in ur room and just lock the room without having some hotel dude rummaging through my stuff?
QUOTE]

Maybe you can...but DON'T!

I would use one of those money belts and leave it on all the time except while you are actually in the shower (place it right near you...with your clothes or something) and while you sleep (if you are using a sleeping bag or sheet bag place it inside it, in the bottem. In the morning, put it back on first thing.

Do I sound paranoid? I hope not because I'm far from paranoid. I just think that if you get into the habit of doing it that way you won't have your money stolen and you also will be unlikely to forget it!

Some friends hid their passports under the hotel mattress once and then left without them - luckily the hotel owner sent them on. Very nice.

The only other specific advice I can think of right now is, if you are travelling by train overnight and you can't padlock the backpack, sleep with it - hug it all night! Not very snuggly I'm sure.......

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jehenry

I'm off on my travels around the world in 13 days (woo-hoo!), am going solo and intend to rely on the pac-safe products. These are the wire mesh for the backpack and the stashsafe bumbag. They both can be locked to a rail or any other permanent fixture so hopefully should be ok for trains/rooms etc.

See link below. You can find stores throughout the world via the "find a store" link. Even Malaysia!

If anyone has any experience of these products whilst travelling solo I'd love to hear it whether good or bad. I read someone say that they couldn't afford this type of thing but I'd rather pay the money and get peace of mind and hopefully not have the hassle of having all my stuff half-inched (sorry to the non-Londoners - Cockney rhyming slang for pinched!)

http://www.pac-safe.com/
See Backpack and Bag Protector and Hip Pack.

P.S. I bought mine on E-bay for a much reduced price.

James

dani

The pacsafe wire mesh thingy indeed looks interesting for solo travel.
I also like to hear about experiences with this product

faber

Barcelona, spain (which nevertheless I love) was by far the worse experience I had with pickpockets: a videocamera stolen from backpack and money from a beltpouch (at the airport)... I mean real artists! But as the saying goes barcelona thieves just LOVE tourists...
In India I toured with a backpack with a small locker and a small money pouch under my tee-shirt and often felt I was overdoing it a bit... Still I felt quite safe with this simple routine.

Frangipani

A friend of my mine lost all her money which was in a money belt - between the time she placed it in a tray (at the X-ray machinein the airport )and collected it at the other end - virtually seconds. This was in Mexico. So we have officials who are thieves. In another instance a friend had her backpack straps cut off -and the theives ran away with the whole lot. These guys are called snatch theives - not pickpockets.
I have found taking a good padlock to lock up my room after me (never use what the hotel provides) and a dog chain works. Locals in India do it when travelling on trains. Tie up their suitcase against a metal pole.
Also not a good idea to roll up you notes in bundles (better to fold and tie).A roll of money falls out of a money belt easier.

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vera

On my first trip to India this fall I packed lots of paranoia, along with a bunch of clothes, sundries and other stuff I didn't need. If I could've carried Mace and an AK-47, I would have (just kidding).
Here are my thoughts, now that I have become an India veteran

First of all, the biggest thing you should carry is plain old commonsense, which weighs nothing.

Beyond that, Pacsafe has a great money pouch with a wire cord you can hang around your neck (yes, it's comfortable and you can use it for the rest of your travelling life). Put your passport, credit card and traveller's checks/big bills in it. Keep this on your person all the time.
When you go shopping, put smaller bills you're going to spend in an outside pocket.
Pacsafe has a nice lockable bum bag too, small. You can use it for your prescription drugs, a small digital camera, etc. Turn it around so the bag part is on your front. I ended up not using the lock and was just fine.

Otherwise, take about half the stuff you think you should take, in a small crappy looking backpack. The more you take, the more of a burden you'll create on your psyche and the more self-protective you'll feel.

Scan your passport, credit card, immunization record back home and put an electronic copy in your email. If you lose this stuff in India, at least you could access the numbers.

And then go, relax and have fun. India is a blast.

Nick-H

Moxie. I learnt a new word: moxie. Sounds like a trade name for an antibiotic but isn't.

There are dumb places to 'hide' things: if you were going to steel stuff from a hotel bedroom, what's the first place to check out? under the mattress!

The second is probably where I tend to keep small things like envelopes with cash in : slipped inside a shirt inside a bag of shirts. Oh well...

Even in expensive hotels the room keys are usually kept in an open rack or drawer, and I'm surprised that this doesn't lead to more opportunist borrowing by strangers --- reception desks are frequently unattended.

I do think that passports and major cash should always be about the person when travelling. And the camera should be slept on.

Now I'm off to take my 500mg moxie. Do I have to eat lots of yoghurt with it?

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scub_a_holic

The pacsafe is handy but not perfect. I have heard that the thief simply opens the bag inside the pac and removes through the meish anything that they want.

traceyam

I have to agree, those are REALLY bag holes in the Pacsafe. It didn't look at all like I thought it would. You could pull a lot of stuff through those.

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alext

I went solo on my first 2 trips to India.

I purchased a pac-safe for my backpack. Like many I was paranoid and didn't really know what to do differently. While traveling on the train I was glad to have it. As noted it is not perfect safety, but what is?

However it is a pain to get it on and off of the bag. It is also somewhat heavy.

My last trip I just took a backpack bag. Mine was a Lowe Alpine bag made for this purpose. It is lockable but since it is cloth it is not nearly as secure as the pac-safe. However I am no longer as worried and I keep my valuable/important items on my person at all times.

There are 2 different Lowe Alpine bags. One with slots for backpack straps (so you can wear it with the bag on) and one that doesn't. The one without slots is much more suited for security and my strong preference.

Honestly the Lowe Alpine bag is so good I would bring one in addition to the pac-safe. Light weight, folds up reasonably small, water proof (or at least good in this respect), deters casual theft. You will be one of the only people in India with a clean bag too!

Only you can judge how worried you are and what you can do to feel safer. If you think the pac-safe will make you feel more comfortable, then no-question get it. Keep your eye out for the Lowe Alpine bag however.

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